News for Restaurants in Dallas/Fort Worth July 2012 Archive

Bread Winners Cafe & Bakery will open a branch at NorthPark Center in the space on the first level vacated by Cibus, an Alberto Lombardi restaurant that closed in July. Designed by Droese + Rainey Architects, the 5,300-square-foot site will feature a vintage eclectic design style with antiques and "found" items as well as a 5,000-square-foot patio overlooking the mall's verdant CenterPark. This will be the first Bread Winners to feature a display bakery where guests can watch bakers at work. The opening is targeted for late September. Bread Winners Cafe & Bakery, NorthPark Center, 8687 North Central Expwy. Ste. 1608, Dallas, TX 75225, no phone available.

One Arts Plaza in Dallas's Arts District is seeing some upheaval: Screen Door, the Southern food restaurant formerly helmed by chef David McMillan, has closed and will be replaced by Cafe des Artistes, yet another new concept from veteran restaurateur Alberto Lombardi (Taverna Pizzeria & Risotteria, Toulouse Cafe & Bar, Sangria Tapas y Bar et al). The restaurant-lounge will feature a menu mixing French and California cuisine, with a brasserie style ambience. Hours will be lunch and dinner daily, with a separate menu for brunch, available on Saturday and Sunday. Designer Ron Guest will re-do the interior, including an update on the wrap-around patio facing Routh Street. Cafe des Artistes is slated to open in early October. Cafe Des Artistes, One Arts Plaza, 1722 Routh St., Dallas, TX 75201, no phone available.

Cedars Woodfire Grill, a healthy fast-casual concept, will open a second location in Frisco on August 6 (the first is on 6509 West Park Blvd. in Plano). Co-founder Randy Gier is a marathoner who wanted a healthier take on fast-casual dining, and brags that Cedars has no freezers, fryers or microwaves. The signature entrée is the California bowl with grilled veggies over a wild and brown rice blend, topped with your choice of grilled chicken, steak, salmon or mushrooms. Sandwiches include one on "rustica" bread and a "southwest wrap" with avocado and pico de gallo. The setup is similiar to Pei Wei Asian Diner, with menus on digital boards and orders placed at the counter. Salads, entrée bowls, sandwiches and woodfire wraps are all under $10. Cedars Woodfire Grill, 4710 Preston Rd., Frisco, TX 75034, no phone available.

Max's Wine Dive, known for its high-low pairing of fried chicken and Champagne, is opening a branch in Uptown Dallas at West Village in September. Founded in Houston in 2006, Max's Wine Dive is half wine-bar, half comfort-food restaurant; every entree on the wine list of more than 150 bottles is available by the glass. Fried chicken is the signature dish, but the menu also has cutesy items such as the Texas "Haute" Dog, with sauerkraut and venison chili, and and Nacho Mama's Oysters --- fried Gulf Coast oysters served on fried wontons and topped with habañero salsa and cilantro. Its grilled cheese sandwich comes on thick Texas toast, with a shooter of tomato soup on the side; "Max & Cheese" is a three-cheese blend with mozzarella, Gruyere and Grana Padano, tossed in truffle cream. In addition to the Houston original, there are Max's in Austin and San Antonio; the Dallas location, going into the old Border's space on McKinney at Lemmon, will be the fourth. Max's Wine Dive, West Village, 3600 McKinney Ave. Ste. 100, Dallas, TX 75204, no phone available.

News
Bytes

CALAIS Winery Issues 2010 Releases Dallas-based CALAIS Winery, a boutique winery created by French winemaker Benjamin Calais, has issued two long-awaited releases: a 2010 tempranillo and 2010 ayrah. The tempranillo spent two years in French oak barrels; it's a single-vineyard all-Texas release with the grapes coming from Newsom Vineyards, located in Plains, in West Texas. Its color is deep ruby, with blackberries, cherries, graphite and cedar in the nose; only 75 cases were made. The syrah, the winery's first, comes from two West Texas vineyards. Rather than the usual "fruit bomb" shiraz, this is dark in color and loaded with blackberry, black pepper and licorice. Only 50 cases were made. CALAIS occupies a vintage building in Dallas' famed Deep Ellum district where it hosts weekly wine tastings. It also offers a no-strings-attached wine club in which you get two bottles a month for $39.99, regardless of the actual price of the bottle, as well as discounts on cases and merchandise. Calais Winery, 3000 Commerce St., Dallas, TX 75226, 214-453-2548.

Hyatt Regency Dallas Launches Kid-friendly Menu OptionsHyatt Regency Dallas has launched a set of child-centric menus that gives kids fresher, more nutritious options, including a three-course organic menu designed by famed chef Alice Waters. The Waters menu includes a salad, chicken entrée and dessert. There's also a program called "For Kids By Kids," that lets young ones customize their order. It could include choosing toppings for a breakfast taco, shaking dressing on a salad, building their own sub sandwich, or picking the ingredients in a pasta dish. They can also simply order a half portion of any dish on the regular menu at half price. The "For Kids By Kids" menu was tasted, tested and approved by kids, including eleven-year-old Haile Thomas, a cooking enthusiast with her own online cooking show, Kids Can Cook. Hyatt Regency Dallas, 300 Reunion Blvd., Dallas, TX 75207, 214-651-1234.

The Commissary, one of the more popular restaurants in Dallas's One Arts Plaza, has closed, and will be replaced by Meze, a new Mediterranean restaurant from the owners of Ziziki's. The Commissary opened in April 2011 as a burger laboratory starring former The Mansion Restaurant at Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek chef John Tesar. But Tesar left in early 2012 and was replaced by chef David McMillan (who'd also been overseeing Screen Door nearby). Ziziki's owners, Costa and Mary Arabatzis, reveal that Meze will be a wine bar with small plates, and will open in September. The Commissary, One Arts Plaza, 1722 Routh St., Dallas, TX 75201, no phone available.

The Mecca, a revered breakfast-and-lunch spot, has left the Harry Hines address it's occupied since 1961 and moving to East Dallas, 5815 Live Oak St, in the old Tipperary Inn space. While best known for its biscuits and gravy and statuesque cinnamon rolls, the Mecca will begin serving dinner once it moves to the new location, where it will also celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2013. The owners plan to open the doors on August 27, with a grand opening event to follow in September. The Mecca, 10422 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75220, no phone.